eaton



2 sheets-sheet 1.

(No Model.)

No.. 402,314. l Patented-Apr. so, 1889.:

INVENTI? WIT/VESSES:

I ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2 sheets-Sheena.. W. S. EATON.

ART OP BNGRAVING. Y Y No. 402,314. PaentedApr. 3o,- 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`-WILLIAM SYLVESTER EATON, OF SAG HARBOR, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE FAHYS VATOH OASE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ART oFglarlGFeAvlrrc.`

sPncIFIcA'rIoN forming pere ef Lettere rement No. 402,314, dated April so, 1889.

Application filed December 28, 1888. Serial No. 294,846. (No model.) l

.T0 'all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM SYLvEs'rER EATON, of Sag I-Iarbor, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Engraving,

of whichlthe following is a full, clear, and

exact description. l l This invention relates to machine-engraving on metal and other surfaces by the'aid of a tracing and engraving instrument, and it 1s moreespeciallyintended to be used for engraving decorations on watch-cases and other articles of jewelry, said decorations includlng flowers, birds, animals, landscapes, and other ornamental designs. In this system of engraving the tracer of the engraving-instrument has to rfollow in engravedlines, usually varyingin depth, on a pattern-plate or model corresponding to the design to be produced or engraved upon a miniaturescale on the surface to be ornamented. My invention consists in an improvement in the art of such engraving by' producing fragments of the design to be transferred" upon a series ofpattern-plates or models' which collectively make up the whole design, and reproducing the same upon anydesired scale on the surfaces to lbe ornamented, substantially as hereinafter described and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar lettersof reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 indicate pattern-plates having, respectively, different fragments of a complete design engraved on them; and Fig. Il. represents the complete design, which in this case illustrates certain animals. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a tracing and engraving instrument as employed in engraving upon the back of a watchcase the fragment of a design from one of a series of patternplates5 Fig.

. V6, a vdesign of block or plaid work capable of being produced from a series of pattern-plates having different fragments of the design upon them, by wayrof illustrating how my invention is or may .be carried f into elfect; and Figs. `7, 8,9, and l0, face views 0f the patternplates from which suchdesign is produced. In Figs. 5, 6, 7, S, 9, and 10 the pattern-plates are shown upon a reduced scale.

In the art of engraving-as, for instance, by the process hereinbefore referred toit is essential, more especially in such engraved work as isput upon watch-cases and other articles of jewelry, that the designs should be frequently changed It is consequently desirable that the plates upon which the patterns onmodels are engraved4 should be of 6o soft metal, in order that the design may be quickly erased from them and the same plates be used for other designs. To do this, however, lnuch difficulty would be experienced if a pattern were called for which had many lines crossing each other upon it. Suppose, for instance, the design to be reproduced to be a pattern of yblocks or plaid-work, such as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Now, to reproduce such a design by a suitable tracing 7o and engravinginstrument-such,forinstance, as a pantograph-like deviceif the entire pattern were to be upon one plate, having all the lines which compose it upon said plate, then the lines which cross each other would V7 5 soon become worn and blurred at the places where they cross, and the plate would in a yery'little time be worthless, which would cause great delay in the work to be done; but by using a series of pattern-plates each of 8o which has only a fragment of the design upon it, and which in the aggregate make up the Whole design, as shown, for instance, in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and l0 of the drawings, and in each of which the lines do not cross, then not only will the lines be easily followed by the tracer of the pantograph or other like device, but the Wear on the plates will be reduced to a minimum. In thus using a series of fragmentary pattern-plates each plate shown in 9o Figs. 7, 8, 9, and IO of the drawings is successively placed in a suitable clamp or frame to hold it, and as soon as the lines on one of said plates are traced over another of said plates is placed in the frame, and so on succcssively till the several plates have been usedand the design shown in Fig. 6 Acompleted or produced upon the article to be so ornamented.

The number of pattern-plates to be used in roo succession, having separate and different fragments of the entire design upon them, will of course vary with the design to be produced.

The same method is used in engraving flowers, birds, animals, landscapes, or any other ornamental design. The main idea, it should be observed, is to use successive pattern-plates for those parts of the entire design which are to be shaded darkest.

Fig. 5 of the drawings shows a pantographlike device, A, as having its tracer b applied t0 a fragmentary pattern-plate, B, held in any suitable clamp or frame C, and its engraving-tool d applied to a watch-case lid, D, which may be held in a suitable chuck.

The pattern-plates having different parts of the whole design engraved upon themthat is, one part on one plate, another part on another, and the remainder of the design upon the third and fourth plates, if four plates be used-may be made of tin, brass, or other suitable material.

By using a combination of pattern-plates in the manner described I am enabled to Work more quickly than could otherwise be done, and also to secure greater depth of cut and better color by the crossing and recrossing of lines one upon the other.

Figs. l, 2, and 3 show a series of successive pattern-plates having upon them fragments of the entire design, which is one of animals, to be produced as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, each of said pattern-plates being used in succession. Thus when all the lines on the plate in Fig. l have been followed by the tracer or tracing-point of the engraving instrument, the same pattern or part of pat tern, upon a reduced scale, will be left and engraved upon the watch-case lid or other article to be ornamented. The next part patternplate (shown in Fig. 2) is then substituted for the previous plate, and the same operation repeated to transfer its part of the design to the article. This leaves the design on the watch-case lid or other article in a more advanced stage of completion, and by reason of the crossing of the lines of the second plate and those of the first one more depth is secured. The plate shown in Fig. 2 is then removed and the part pattern-plate shown in Fig. 3 put in its place, and the operation repeated as before, and so on for any number of part pattern-plates till the whole design is completed.

It will be obvious that by thus successively using a series of pattern-plates having fragments of the design upon them the work may be done very rapidly, since, if the design is properly laid out upon the plates, there need be no interfering cross-lines on any one plate. There will also be a large economy, as the plates may be much easier engraved than if.

there were many lines crossing on one and the same plate.

The invention is not restricted to the pantograph-like device here shown, inasmuch as any other suitable tracing and engraving instrument might be used. A

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The within-described improvement in the art of machine-engraving, which consists in producing a series of engraved patternplates, each of which has a fragment only of the design upon it, but collectively compose the entire design, and which are successively used in transferring the design to the article to be engraved, as set forth.

2. The improvement described in the art of engraving, which consists in first engraving upon a series of pattern-plates different fragments of the entire design to be produced, including lines which cross each other, and subsequently transferring on any desired scale, by a tracing and engraving instrument, successively, from said plates to the article to be engraved, the different fragments of the design, substantially as specified.

Witnesses:

A. GREGORY, E. M. CLARK. 

